HANOVER (WRIC) – Friday morning, at approximately 7:45 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office responded to the 4300 block of Piping Tree Ferry Road for a report of a single-vehicle crash. Preliminary investigation indicates that a 1995 Honda Accord was traveling west on Piping Tree Ferry Road near Old Church Road when it ran off the right side of the roadway. This caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle, which struck several trees and a wooden fence before coming to rest.

The driver, Joelle Y. Howard, 19, was transported to VCU Medical Center by Virginia State Police Med-Flight and was later pronounced dead.

While the cause of the crash remains under investigation, it was determined that the deceased was not wearing a seatbelt.